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All children should be given the chance to read this book. It was the favourite story of my childhood. It is a beautiful, haunting evocative story of childhood, growing up, adulthood and old age. It's also unbearably sad, in a happy kind of way, if that makes sense. It's the story of life. It's beautifully written, and a haunting evocation of a place, a garden, long ago - so powerfully written you'll feel you'll come to know every corner of it - the nut stubbs, the greenhouse, the meadow, the sundial wall and the stream and so forth, that it comes alive in your mind - the old fir tree, that Hatty used to like to stand under in a high wind, and feel the roots "pulling like muscles" under her feet - so wonderfully drawn you'll not want to leave it's world. You can read it when a child and appreciate it, and also as an adult and view it from a different perspective, of a story of a bored boy and one very lonely little girl, and how their friendship transcends even time itself. The ending is so powerful, so moving that it'll have you in tears, and yet it's treated without sentimentality and without condescending to it's readers, of any age. This book is a part of my life, forever.
This is a true classic for all time. Buy it today.
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I first read this book as a young teenager and no matter how many times I re-read it, I am always moved almost to tears by the depth of feeling the author writes about. A simple concept such as loneliness connects two characters across the abyss of time. The author skillfully handles the idea of the past existing concurrently with the present. The simple wish for a friend is the underlying force of this story. This is a book that once I read, I never forgot.
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With the possible exception of Falkner's "Moonfleet" this is my all-time favourite children's book. I loved it as a child, read it as an adolescent, enjoyed it as an adult, & read it aloud to my children as a father. The story here is how a boy finds his way into the past of a house he is visiting, and his growing fascination with the life of a little girl in that past. The style of writing is so matter of fact, i think i truly believed as a child because there is no sense of "look how cute this idea is" you often get in books of the sort. The reader is invited to fully participate in and identify with both Tom and Hattie, and their growing friendship. The climax of the book, as Tom discovers what has truly been happening, never fails to move me to tears; just thinking about Mrs. Bartholomew's line right now is tightening my throat. Read this book.
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Tom's Midnight Garden is an awesome book. I love how it keeps you in suspence about what is actually going on. I also love how it talks about past and present together. I have some friends who didn't like the book very much because it was difficult for them to comprehend the creativity of the book. I also have some friends who found the book extremely interesting and would recomend it to anyone, as would I.
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Tom's Midnight Garden is an endearing book about a boy who is sent away from his family for the summer due to illness. He goes to stay in a large old house that was once a beautiful estate, but has now been divided into apartments. At first, he is very lonely until he makes a discovery that sends his summer into an exciting twilight zone of adventure. The grandfather clock keeps very unusual time, sending Tom on a midnight escapade into a wonderful garden. Or is it really midnight? There he meets a girl, the only one who can see him, whom he befriends. They have many shared experiences in their little garden world and sometimes out of it, as well. Time passes for the girl, but the magic of the clock and garden always seem to keep Tom at the same age. Eventually, there is a tangible intersecting of their two lives, and through this, a surprising discovery of an old and treasured friend. Tom's Midnight Garden is well written and well paced. A true gem to read aloud or to enjoy by yourself. I recommend it highly. It is available through Amazon.com.
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